Thur 26 Aug

The Beatles were a phenomenon in Liverpool long before the rest of the UK caught on.  Once Beatlemania took a foothold in the country it quickly spread to Europe, the USA and then to the rest of the world.  Thus it is fitting that our weekend begins at The Cavern Club, where the Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein and Alistair Taylor in November 1961.  Even more appropriately, Alistair Taylor will again be present to witness Beatle Pete Best's triumphant return to the Cavern Club.  An historic start to the weekend.  For those of you who arrive in the city earlier, there will be live music entertainment all day at The Cavern Club and Pub and whats more , the afternoon is all FREE! So get your self down to Mathew Street on the Thursday for the starter, a little taste of authentic Liverpool.

Fri 27 Aug

The Beatles  were  a present from the City of Liverpool to the whole world. The Beatles Festival in Liverpool is by far the biggest (and the best ) Beatles celebration of them all and typically attracts bands from over 20 countries and fans from over 40! The City of Liverpools theme is "The World in One City" and it is never more true than during Beatle Week . To this end, the Friday afternoon celebration features four of the best Beatle bands in the world, from four very different cultures Liverpool (from Sweden ), Johnny Silver (from Germany ), The Parrots (from Japan ) and, topping the bill will be Clube Big Beatles from Brazil, who will be celebrating their tenth consecutive appearance at the Festival . Entertainment from bands representing three different continents ! 2004 is the fortieth anniversary of the British Invasion of the USA which began so spectacularly by the Mop Tops performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. To celebrate this anniversary, we are staging . . . what else . . . a US invasion of Liverpool!  We have invited Americas finest Beatle bands  to repay the compliment. The first of our three American shows at The Royal Court is staged tonight and features the legendary Tim Piper, as John Lennon, in his Working Class Hero tribute. Tim is in demand from the Hollywood set to perform his Lennon show and has performed privately for Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg to name but a few.  As soon as this finishes there will be time to get over to the Adelphi for "Frantic Friday" which will be held in Fridays Bar, Cromptons and The American Bar, as well as featuring Jon Keats and Instant Karma, who will be hosting a Bed In in the Adelphi lounge into the wee small hours.

Sat 28 Aug

For those of you who can get out of bed early enough, the annual Beatles auction (organised by The Beatles Shop) takes place from 9.30am onwards at LIPA (Paul and Georges old school). For more information on this please ring 0151 236 8066. The action will be in full swing from early till late at The Cavern Pub and The Cavern Club, featuring music from over forty bands in a day; but you will be spoilt for choice as on the banks of the River Mersey, the Pier Head will be the backdrop for the Beatle Years 1963-1970. This show will feature Beatle music from each of these years, but will also highlight the music of other artistes who dominated alongside the four lads from Liverpool during the so-called Beatle years. Bands will pay tribute to The Stones, Dylan, The Who, Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin. Saturday night sees a return to the Royal Court for part two of the US invasion, which will showcase the talent of 1962 (Hamburg Beatles), The Fab Four from California (1963-1966) and "1964 The Tribute" who are one of the world's most famous Beatle bands.   A tremendous blockbuster of a show!  Again at midnight the party switches to the Adelphi for those late-night soirees which for many are the best part of the whole weekend. The bars in the hotel will be reelin and a rockin till very late.

Sun 29 Aug

Sunday is traditionally Convention Day and this year is no exception. The Convention will be extended through to 3am in the morning so its just one humungous event that goes on for fifteen hours. However we will be lucky to get it all in forty to fifty bands in one day, exhibitions, a play, quizzes, competitions, flea market, video shows, guest speakers and surprises galore. The Convention Day is absolutely jam packed and there is something for everybody. With over fifty bands in one day, entertaining on three stages, it is impossible to actually do everything in the 15 hours that the Convention is open. Throughout the morning there are also tours of the famous and not so famous sites. The flea market is the ideal place to find that rare record or elusive memorabilia. There are always dozens of Beatles people present those that were actually part of the story, whether it be Allan Williams, The Beatles first manager, Alistair Taylor, manager at Apple,  or Julia, John Lennons sister. Bring your autograph book youll need it!

Mon 30 Aug

Monday is THE big one. This years Mathew Street Festival will begin at 12 noon when the QE2 will sound her pipes from her mooring in the River Mersey. Over 300,000 fans will be entertained by over 200 bands in the city centre. Every bar, pub, restaurant and club will echo to the sound of Merseybeat! Over 80 indoor stages are supplemented by six huge outdoor stages in the city centre and this free festival will continue until 8pm. The Mathew Street Festival is every Liverpudlians favourite day in the calendar, and if you havent experienced it yet, youll soon understand why! As soon as this finishes you will just have time to get to the Royal Court Theatre for the third and final installment of the American invasion. This concert will feature British Export from Chicago (who cheat a little by having Gavin from Liverpool as their George!). British Export will feature Beatles music between 1963-1966, before the mercurial talent of the Fab Faux from NYC take the stage to perform their Psychedelia show in its entirety. Do they look like The Beatles? No! So why are they everybodys favourite band? You have to see them to understand. Its Beatles music as The Beatles would play it themselves today if they could. World class, multi Grammy award winning musicians combine their talents to provide what will undoubtedly be the highlight of the week. (Will Lee, the bass player, was voted worlds greatest living bass player by Billboard magazine and has played bass for Ringo, George at the Albert Hall, and Paul; yes, he played bass for Paul at the New York City Freedom Concert! Some pedigree). After catching your breath it is over to the Adelphi and it comes full circle to where it all began. The VIP Party this year is entitled Liverpool Entertains and the finale will feature Instant Karma, The Mersey Beatles, George Harrys Son and Mike Penders Searchers. All scousers from Liverpool and guaranteed to knock your socks off. What a way to end an unbelievable day!

Tues 31 Aug

A lie-in is allowed but don't forget to get over to The Cavern Club for the final onslaught. The Fab Faux are only playing three shows during Beatle Week and you will probably be reeling from their first gig at The Royal Court the night before (Monday). Seeing is indeed believing, but Tuesday at The Cavern Club will be something else. The Fab Faux are playing their first ever gig at The Cavern Club and are going to play a gig that will be the complete antithesis to their Royal Court Psychedelia show. Back to basics, in yer face rock n roll stripped right down. It will be hot, it will be sweaty, but I for one cannot think of any better way to finish Beatle Week. These Cavern gigs will be historic occasions that will be marked by an addition to the Cavern Wall of Fame in a special ceremony. An absolute must for all true Beatle fans. Of course while this show is in full swing, the Cavern Pub and the front of the Cavern will be shaking with the sounds of the best live Beatle music in the world. What a week, I'm shattered just writing about it. If you've read this and always wanted to do this, do it!  Pick up the phone and book now. You won't be disappointed. Satisfaction guaranteed.